Liverpool sporting director pursuit update
Journalist David Ornstein has given an update on Liverpool’s search for a new sporting director, with the team’s poor form on the pitch mirroring the chaos behind the scenes.
What’s going on in Liverpool?
Liverpool had great success with targeted signings when Michael Edwards was sporting director, but he resigned at the end of last season with Julian Ward replacing him as an internal appointment.
However, Ward has confirmed his intention to leave the club at the end of the season after less than a year in the role and Liverpool have endured a nightmare season after struggling to quadruple the previous season.
Do you want FSG to sell Liverpool?
Speaking on NBC Sports, Ornstein confirmed that the process to replace Ward has begun, with a number of names already being targeted.
“The process of replacing Ward as athletic director is now underway. It’s in its early stages. They considered AS Monaco’s Paul Mitchell a lot but that’s not going to happen, he’s going to stay there,” he said.
“Among the other candidates or names they admire is Marcus Krosche from Eintracht Frankfurt but there will be a number of options and let’s see how that plays out because this is a critical time for Liverpool and FSG.”
How has Liverpool’s transfer strategy changed?
Liverpool won every trophy on offer as a result of scouting and transfer strategy under Edwards, with Andy Robertson, Joel Matip and Georginio Wijnaldum coming in as bargains and becoming key players.
However, in their first few windows without Edwards at the helm, they spent fairly high fees on Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo, who have had mixed reviews so far, and have failed to successfully bolster the midfield, which has been a problem area this season.
Liverpool’s top target for the summer is Jude Bellingham, who would cost over £100m and while he could be an excellent addition to midfield, this deal is a far cry from the type of transfer that has worked so well for them before .
Let’s start simply – how many points have Liverpool accumulated in their 2021/22 Premier League season?
90
91
92
93
TAKE THE QUIZ!
It’s unclear whether Edwards would have pursued such a difficult and expensive deal with a sought-after player like Bellingham rather than investing in several under-the-radar talents to help rebuild the squad, and the club will consider what kind of approach each will take Hire candidate as athletic director before scheduling an appointment.